How the PWHL’s youngest player is adjusting to a new league — and a new language

OTTAWA — Nearly 6,000 miles away from her hometown in Hokkaido, Japan, Akane Shiga was being asked about the weather. Mike Hirshfeld, general manager of Ottawa’s PWHL team, was sitting with Shiga and coach Carla MacLeod in the team office at TD Place Arena, speaking to the 22-year-old forward and Japanese national team member through …

How could Taylor Swift get to the Super Bowl from her Eras Tour? Here are possible routes

Taylor Swift has already logged plenty of miles traveling the world on her record-breaking Eras Tour, and she could soon add over 5,500 more on a one-way trip. That’s assuming the pop star makes the journey from the stage in Tokyo, where she’ll be performing on Feb. 10, to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to …

Total Eclipse of the Park: The Guardians’ home opener coincides with a rare solar eclipse

CLEVELAND — Befuddled birds will start chirping. Drivers trapped in a boundless traffic snarl will halt their honking. The temperature will plunge. Sluggers swatting batting practice tosses at Progressive Field will pause for a cosmic intermission. At 3:13 p.m. ET on April 8, the springtime sky above downtown Cleveland will host a total solar eclipse, …

Language barriers, culture shock and isolation: How the NHL’s loneliest players cope

Alexandre Carrier looked over at the stone-faced new guy to his left on the Gatineau Olympiques bench and noticed that he had another teammate’s stick in his hands. Ever the helpful sort, Carrier politely pointed out Yakov Trenin’s mistake. Trenin turned his head, stared at Carrier for a moment, and responded. “Yes.” Confused but also …

‘Don’t move … improve’: Can L.A.’s newest star revive a storied women’s basketball program?

LOS ANGELES — JuJu Watkins’ hands didn’t feel quite right. They were tingling in a way that seemed unnatural, and when she looked down at them, though they were physically there (all 10 fingers — check; perfectly manicured nails — check) they didn’t feel like her hands. Not the hands that made her the No. …

Why white home uniforms — once an NBA mainstay — have disappeared

Every August, after the NBA releases its schedule for the upcoming season, Michael McCullough, the Miami Heat’s chief marketing officer, thinks about the next 82 games. He not only considers ticket sales and promotions but also sets a meeting with the team’s equipment manager and focuses on an essential part of his job: uniforms. Laying …

Tara VanDerveer’s secret to becoming the winningest college coach? Never stop learning

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Almost nothing about Tara VanDerveer’s home would imply a basketball coach, let alone one who is about to become the winningest college basketball coach ever, has resided there for nearly 30 years. The muted yellow walls and decor — several large framed florals painted years ago by a friend — are …

Remembering the Zambia air disaster – ‘The boys would say: ‘This plane will kill us”

“The spirit of the 1993 team will always be there for Zambia.” Kalusha Bwalya, Zambia’s former football captain, is reflecting on the day that changed his life forever. On April 27, 1993, a military aircraft taking 18 of his team-mates and their coach to a World Cup qualifier against Senegal crashed shortly after refuelling in …

Top 10 Tara VanDerveer moments as Stanford coach nears all-time wins record

It’s impossible to tell the story of the past four decades of college basketball without Tara VanDerveer. The Stanford icon, USA Basketball coach, and overall standard-bearer for West Coast basketball is an integral character in the growth of the women’s game since Title IX. And with two more wins, VanDerveer will stand alone as the …

Christian Pulisic interview: ‘I want to show the world what the U.S. can do’

Christian Pulisic is perched on a bar stool in the old clubhouse overlooking the first-team training pitch at Milanello, AC Milan’s training ground. He makes a hand gesture, one he didn’t need the past six months living in Italy to learn. Pulisic is talking about himself as one of the “older guys” on the USMNT …